Psalm 122, Matthew 24:36-44
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
I wonder when you leapt out of bed this morning the first thing that came into your mind was something like
“I was so happy and joyous because I was coming to church today.”
Or, maybe,
“Oh, yeah baby, there is nothing that I would be gladder to do that pop off to spend an hour in worship this morning.”
If you were thinking like this then maybe, you are reflecting something of the words of Psalm 122.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Or maybe at last week’s congregation meeting you took to heart that the strategic priority of Growing our Worship means that, “Worship is entered into with joy and expectation.”
To me joy does not always mean happiness or fun but can
include the challenging times when we are called to rejoice in the Lord always
even if things are tough.
That being by the by, I wonder what hopes you carried with you this morning as you came into worship.
Were they positive faith filled hopes?
I hope God speaks to me on this day.
·
I hope that I will see all my friends at church.
·
I hope we have some new people join us for the
service.
·
I hope that I am challenged to grow in my faith.
·
I hope that I can sense God’s Spirit in worship
today.
Or were they more pragmatic mundane, even negative, hopes?
I hope the service finishes on time.
· I hope that the service is interesting, maybe
even entertaining.
·
I hope that don’t have to sing any modern songs.
·
I hope that we don’t sing any old hymns.
·
I hope that no one sits in my seat.
Whether our hopes about coming to church this morning were in a more positive or a more negative mindset the simple fact that you have given this time to worship God and engage is a sign of the hope that you have that growing as a lifelong disciple of Christ is worthwhile. But our hope in Christ has an edge to it as well.
The reading from Matthew’s gospel is a style of ancient writing that we now call apocalyptic literature. It carries exaggerated images of the dire consequences that will occur on the day of the Lord. This difficult passage should be read through the lens of ancient eyes and heard as a warning to stay in our relationship with God and the mystery and hiddenness of his coming.
The warning that Jesus issues “Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” This warning is all about rectitude. Doing the right thing whether you think anyone is watching or not. But what is the right thing?
The right thing is to begin with the understanding that it is in and through Jesus that the consequences of those who sleep and the joy of these who stay awake collide and coalesce in his person. He is the risen crucified one who lights our way before us. Earlier in his ministry Jesus claimed that he had been chosen to fulfil Isaiah’s words for “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light” (Matt 4:16).” We look to Jesus as the one who breaks into our reality as the light of at the world. He is the light who shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. This is the one that we have met, that is present with us now and for whom we wait for in Advent with hope.
In his book What Can Love Hope For? Bill Loader reflects on how the hopes of the early Christians, and the people of Jesus time were different to ours. Hope was tangible for Jesus audience. It was hope for healing. It was hope for sustenance – for food. It was hope for peace. It was hope for inclusion in community. But this was not a privatised and individualised hope but a much larger and more encompassing vision.
In our culture of abundance, where most of us rarely think about the risk of whether we will be able to afford the next meal the red bags that we have gathered are a stark reminder that there are so many others that do not have an equal share in the abundance that we celebrate. In his book Loader reminds us of the strength of the Biblical image of the great feats of end times. A fest which is not only about food but bringing people in harmony and celebration, involving the inclusion of all – not just those who have the privilege of wealth in this life.
Hope for a radical change in the world, in the redistribution of wealth, of altered economic and governance systems, of inclusion and community for all people. Paul later writes that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” Our anticipation and expectation in Advent in in our faith is not simple a self-centred and personal hope but a hope for the fulfilment of the promise that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.”
I wondrous hopeful vision that encompasses all peoples. This is what we come to celebrate in worship; this is what we come to hope for. If this is what shapes us and draws us here it is little wonder that we might say
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Or, oh yeah baby it’s worship time!
But as we stay awake and we wait we who have already
encountered our risen Lord are also driven to contemplate what it means that
God is “entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
A message of hope not just for us but for others as well. I hope that drives us out from worship to be peacemakers and agents of hope in the world living not for our own sake but for others. Or as Psalm 122 says,
“For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
